Bad Beer is Bad.

I remember getting all worked up because people drank crap beer. I no longer do so, because I understand why people drink crap beer.

Because it’s beer. BEER. What people drink when they want to get slowly and pleasantly drunk. They don’t want to intellectualize it. They don’t want to turn it into an aesthetic experience. They just want to drink it. And if you tell them that their tastes are bad, they will think you’re an idiot, because from where they sit, taste doesn’t enter into it. It’s just beer.

Now, I don’t care for the mass-produced light lagers, myself, and aside from the occasional Miller High Life or Natty Bo, I don’t drink them. I spend my money on craft beers, because I enjoy them, and they get you drunk faster. But I’m not going to waste any more energy on Budweiser’s market share than it takes to offer someone a Sam Adams, Dogfish Head, or Chimay.

2 comments

My husband, like yourself, drinks good beer. On occasion, he has drunk bad beer, but usually only at gatherings when not drinking it would offend our host. He’s never had a problem with those who drink bad beer, either – but we both have a problem with establishments who fail to sell good beer. I get the whole catering to the masses and lowest common denominator (sometimes I even do it on my blog), but is it really necessary for restaurants to force my husband to suffer through a glass of Amstel Light because of it? Late the other night, in attempt to celebrate some welcome news with my hubby, I had to stop at no less than an all night pharmacy, two gas stations and a 7-Eleven in search of some Sam Adams – and the best I could come up with was a six pack of Yuengling.

This is why I drink wine. Twice the alcohol and no unpleasant fizziness filling up my gut. Now on the topic of people who drink bad wine…

I’ve never had that experience, because I live in one of those states (Maryland) where you can’t buy alcohol outside of a liquor store. And the liquor stores in Maryland usually have the same layout: mass-produced beer on one side of the fridge (usually the left), craft beer on the other (the right). So I’ve never had to deal with being unable to get decent beer. If I had, I might be more offended by the preponderance of the swill.

And I agree that good wine should be quaffed, but I suspect myself of having no clue what good wine is. I’m impressed when I find a Chilean wine that uses the old European root stocks.